Sex offender found with nearly 100 explicit images of children

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - When Rachel Roberts saw deputies parked outside her neighbor's home, she began to wonder what was going on.

"All of a sudden you see him being escorted out in handcuffs behind his back, and then maybe five minutes later they packed up a computer and a box of stuff," described Roberts.

The man in cuffs was Scott Johnson, a registered sex offender since 2000, who moved to Franklin County from Illinois.

"We were already notified that he had prior problems with children, and I was kind of like "here we go again!" said Roberts.

Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton says on March 2nd, investigators with his office and the U.S. Marshals, along with state and local police, conducted a sex offender registry check on Johnson and roughly 90 others in the county. The Sheriff calls Johnson a "Career Pedophile," and said he was still up to no good when investigators stopped by in the spring.

"It's unacceptable and we're not going to tolerate it here," stated Sheriff Melton.

Inside Johnson's house, the Sheriff says his deputies found child pornography all of which he described as graphic.

"The State Police Computer Forensics lab examined that and determined there were 96 photographs of children, preferably under 12 years of age, and then also 36 media files. It was very, very disheartening to see what this individual was into."

Sheriff Melton said not much has changed since, after his deputies found even more pornography when they arrested the 70-year-old on Friday.

Johnson is charged with two counts of "distribution of matter portraying sex performance by a minor."

"His computer that he had was very sophisticated. It was like a home computer that you or I may have, (but) on steroids," explained Sheriff Melton.

Melton added that Johnson, by law, is not allowed to have any social media sites or instant message capabilities that might allow him to contact children. The Sheriff said it appeared that Johnson broke that rule, as well.

Now that he's off the streets and away from the community, Sheriff Melton said it's "huge," adding that Johnson's arrest meets his goal of protecting the children and the citizens of Franklin County. Which comes as a relief to parents like Roberts.

"We've got a church that's right up here and schools right down the road. I mean, it makes me nervous."

Johnson was also charged with two counts of a sex offender using social network, chat, and instant message.

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